WO2007007965A1

WO2007007965A1 - System and method for sharing gains through an agent on web site

Info

Publication number: WO2007007965A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/002569
Authority: WO
Inventors: Young Bae Ku; Jung Du Choi
Original assignee: Gmarket Inc.
Priority date: 2005-07-08
Filing date: 2006-06-30
Publication date: 2007-01-18
Also published as: KR20070006507A; KR100758024B1

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for sharing profits with an agent who operates a web log, a newsletter, or RSS, or a purchaser connected to an on-line shopping mall or an on-line portal site through the agent. The system comprises a web server for administrating general purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund and delivery confirmation for goods, registering linking means of an agent, a beneficiary and a profit sharing rate and showing a sales web page of an e-trading platform; information providing means for providing the linking means with information on the goods including a beneficiary identifying code by connecting to the sales web page of the e-trading platform; and a profit sharing server for distributing the profit to the designated beneficiary, when any purchaser buys the goods or services at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through the linking means of the agent.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SHARING GAINS THROUGH AN AGENT ON WEB SITE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a system and method for sharing profits to promote sales through an agent on a web site, more particularly a system and method for sharing profits with an agent who operates a web log, a newsletter, or RSS (Really Simple Syndication or RDF

Site Summary), or a purchaser connected to an on-line shopping mall or an on-line portal site (hereinafter, e-trading platform) through the agent.

Background Art

Most of web sites provide their members with the newsletter etc. including contents or information on commercial goods, and therefore the members are induced to visit these web sites more frequently. Also, the web logs provide private interesting subjects including contents or information on commercial goods or restaurants, and therefore the web surfers are induced to visit these web logs more frequently.

Recently, RSS technology as the standard for web sites syndication and data exchange has been brought to attention. RSS is a data exchange format for web site, based on XML (extensible Markup Language), which news or web logs etc. are frequently updated. In case that new contents are newly registered in, for example, 'A' web site backing up RSS services, a RSS file is automatically created. Newly updated information transmitted by RSS services can be registered in, for example, 'B' web site connected to RSS services. Therefore, internet surfers can obtain new information of 'A' web site at 'B' web site, without visiting 'A' web site.

As internet is widely spread, internet surfers are being exposed on an enormous amount of information on news, goods or services etc. In the meantime, since there are a number of e- market places, portal sites, B to B or B to C web sites installed on the internet as an example of e-trading platform, a number of merchants or e-dealers, who sell goods or services through the e- trading platform, should advertise their services by paying their own cost. Usually, in this case, dealers share the profits originated from sales of the goods or services with web site operators and the customer only obtain purchase reserving points which can be used to purchase other goods or contents in the e-trading platform. However, agents, e.g. the web log operators, the newsletter operator who have experienced the purchase of the goods or services at the specific e- trading platform, don't get any rewards from the dealers or the e-trading platform operators and therefore they don't have the will to update their contents any more actively.

Therefore, as a number of e-market places, portal sites, B to B or B to C web sites are increased, a number of merchants or e-dealers can't increase any more amount of sales and profits through the marketing strategy based on the on-line banner or off-line advertisement. It is necessary to share the profits between the agent, the e-trading platform operator and the customer.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a system and method for sharing profits with an agent who operates a web log, a newsletter, or RSS, or a purchaser connected to an on-line shopping mall or an on-line portal site through the agent. In particular, the information requester can easily have a communication with the information provider when searching or shopping goods. In an embodiment, the present invention provides a system for sharing profits of the goods sales comprising: a web server for administrating general purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund and delivery confirmation for goods, registering linking means of an agent, a beneficiary and a profit sharing rate and showing a sales web page of an e-trading platform; information providing means for providing the linking means with information on the goods including a beneficiary identifying code by connecting to the sales web page of the e-trading platform; and a profit sharing server for distributing the profit to the designated beneficiary, when any purchaser buys the goods or services at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through the linking means of the agent. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for sharing profits of the goods sales through a system for administrating general purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund and delivery confirmation for goods and showing a sales web page of an e-trading platform comprising steps of: registering linking means of an agent, a beneficiary and a profit sharing rate; providing the linking means with information on the goods including a beneficiary identifying code by connecting to the sales web page of the e-trading platform; providing purchasing procedures of the goods, when any purchaser wishes to buy the goods at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through the linking means of the agent; and distributing the profit to the designated beneficiary, when the goods is sold through the purchasing procedures. Also, the present invention provides a computer recordable media for accomplishing the above- mentioned method for sharing profits of the goods sales. Advantage of the Present Invention

The profit sharing system and method according to the present invention can provide that the operator of the e-trading platform has a plurality of sales network and maximize the promotion the e-trading platform without further effort, so that the e-platform is activated. Also, the agent gets any rewards from the dealers or gives the beneficiary designated by him/her the profit of the sales, so that the agent wishes to update their contents more actively.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a system for sharing profits with an agent and a purchaser according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of a method for sharing profits with an agent and a purchaser according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart for showing agent registration procedures in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a flow chart for showing purchasing procedures in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an exemplary image view for showing an agent's web page including a recommendation contents.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a system for sharing profits with an agent and a purchaser according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig 1, the profit sharing system comprises a web server 111, RSS server 112, a mail server 113, a profit sharing server 114, a goods/customer/order database 115, a RSS file database 116, a newsletter database 117, a profit sharing database 118. This system is connected to a plurality of agent terminal 122, a plurality of purchaser terminal 123, a plurality of agent's web site 124 through Internet 121. However, for ease of understanding and clarity, the following description may refer to one terminal. As used herein "purchaser" may include not only a customer who searches and finds out the information for goods or services or a purchaser who wishes to buy or bought goods or services, but also a dealer in Business to Business. Ln Fig. 1, each of agent terminals 122, purchaser terminals 123 and agent's web sites 124 actually has a plurality of terminals.

The web server 111 usually operates an e-commerce web site, in which a plurality of dealers sell a variety of goods or services and a plurality of customers buy these goods or services. The web server 111 provides purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund, and delivery confirmation for these goods or services, sends hypertext markup language (HTML) message showing additional information on goods/customer/order etc., and stores necessary information on the goods/customer/order database 115 to handle the purchasing procedures. Also, the web server 111 can provide a web page including information on the goods or services including beneficiary identifying codes. The agents, who wish to introduce the goods or services on the web pages of the web server at their web pages, apply for registration of RSS services or newsletter services and select the beneficiaries. The agents can be selected themselves, other persons, or an organization as the beneficiaries and should set sharing rates of the beneficiaries. When the agent doesn't set the sharing rates, the sharing rates of each beneficiary are equal. It takes a part in the collection of contributions to set the organization as the beneficiary.

The RSS server 112 provides the RSS files including updated information of the web server to the agents. When the agents register the beneficiaries and the sharing rates in the web server, the RSS files including the address of web page and the beneficiaries identifying codes to the agents and when the agents only register the beneficiaries in the web server, the RSS files only including the address of web page to the agents is provided. Necessary information on the RSS services is stored in the RSS file database 116. The RSS files are registered in an agent's web site 124, e.g. web log, mini home page, or personal web site. The mail server 113 provides the news letters including updated information of the web server to the agents. When the agents register the beneficiaries and the sharing rates in the web server, the news letters including the address of web page and the beneficiaries identifying codes to the agents and when the agents only register the beneficiaries in the web server, the news letters only including the address of web page to the agents is provided. Necessary information on the news letter services through the mail server 113 is stored in the news letter database 117. These news letters are transmitted to other personal web site, web log or e-mail designated by the agent and therefore people having received the news letters may buy the goods or services at the e-trading platform connected to through the news letters.

When any purchaser buys the goods or services at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through RSS files or the news letters, the profit sharing server 114 distributes the profit to the designated beneficiaries.

The price of goods is determined by a manufacturing cost, a marketing or advertisement cost, a cash back cost, and a dealer's net profit. Accordingly, when the goods are sold without marketing or advertisement, the dealer's profit includes not only the cash back and the dealer's net profit but also the marketing cost.

When the purchaser is the same person as the agent, that is, the purchaser buys the goods through his/her web log or news letter (or the purchaser buys the goods at the e-trading platform directly), it is considered that the dealer pays an extra marketing cost to sell the goods and therefore the purchaser only get the cash back cost.

When the purchaser is not the same person as the agent, that is, the purchaser buys the goods through agent's web log or news letter, the purchaser receives a little more cash back or buys the goods at more discounted prices, so that RSS services and the news letter services can be activated.

Also, the purchaser may share the cash back allotted to himself/herself with the beneficiaries designated by him/her. When a plurality of beneficiaries is designated, the profit is distributed in proportion to the designated sharing rates. The types of profit sharing may be a spontaneously discount, point reserving, or the cash back. Necessary information for the profit sharing accomplished by the profit sharing server 114 is stored in the profit sharing database 118.

Also, this invention is implemented by various links other than RSS files and the news letters. For example, the customer registers the beneficiaries and their sharing rates at the e- trading platform and then registers linking information including the beneficiary identifying codes at other web sites to connect to the web pages of the e-trading platform. Therefore, when any customer visiting this other web site buys the goods through the linking information, the profit of the goods can be distributed to the designated beneficiaries.

The goods/client/order database 115 includes information on the goods, information on the dealer, information on the customer, especially information on the purchaser and the order of the goods.

The information on the goods includes at least one of administration number, brand name, category, type, price, manufacturer, the place of origin, specifications, image file, delivery cost type, delivery fee, the period of no interest payment by installment, coupon, gift, etc. The information on the dealer includes at least one of a dealer's identity, a dealer's name, a wire phone number, a mobile phone number, a facsimile number, whether to issue a tax account, whether to issue a receipt, an introduction of the dealer, a mini shop logo file, a customer evaluation degree, etc. The information on the purchaser includes at least one of a purchaser's identity, a purchaser's name, a birth date, a wire phone number, a mobile phone number, a facsimile number, address, purchasing goods, purchasing date, whether to register an agent, whether to register beneficiaries, sharing rates, information collecting method, etc. The information on the order includes a shopping cart number, information on a purchaser, a transaction number, a transaction date, information on goods, settlement amount of money, settlement status, delivery fee, settlement method, a bank name, a recipient, a recipient call number, and a delivery address etc.

To provide the RSS services, the RSS file database 116 includes at least one of a RSS service requester, a RSS file delivery period, a web site address to deliver RSS file, a beneficiary identifying code, etc. To provide the RSS services, the news letter database 117 includes at least one of a news letter subscriber, a mail address to deliver, a beneficiary identifying code etc.

To distribute the profit by the goods sales, the profit sharing database 118 includes at least one of purchaser's information, agent's information, beneficiaries and sharing rates, sales date, each profit of beneficiaries, a profit sharing method, etc.

The agent's web site 124 further includes a recommendation contents database for storing the contents recommended by the agent and the RSS files linked to the e-trading platform. The agent's web site provides the contents recommended by the agent to the customer visiting this agent's web site, so that the customer selects any word, any phrase or a tag of the contents and connects to the web page of the e-trading platform through the RSS files.

The agent is a purchaser who makes a recommendation contents as an experienced user or a specialist who makes a recommendation contents as a well informed person in the field. When the customer searches the recommendation contents of the agent's web site, an image and information on the goods can appear concurrently on the recommendation web page of the agent's web site. The image, tag, and keywords on the goods can be registered at the agent's web site.

Fig. 5 is an exemplary image view for showing an agent's web page including a recommendation contents. As shown in Fig. 5, when the customer visits the agent's web site and searches the recommendation contents, all part, a tag, or key words of recommendation contents and information on the goods are linked to the e-trading platform.

When the pointer of mouse is touched on all or any part of the recommendation contents, the image of the goods is activated and displayed. The image, brand name, and approximate explanation on the goods are shown in a list of the goods. When the image or brand name of the goods is clicked, the customer can connected to the web pages of the e-trading platform through the RSS files.

Also, a search engine such as a tool bar or a search window can be provided on the agent's web site to the customer and be connected to the beneficiary identifying codes of the agent. When the customer enters and clicks the brand name on the search engine, the search result is provided on the web page of the agent's web site. Thereafter, when the customer clicks the brand name on the search result page and the specific web page of the goods on the e- trading platform is provided. Therefore, when any customer buys the goods through these procedures, the profit of the goods can be distributed to the designated beneficiaries.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of a method for sharing profits with an agent and a purchaser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The e-trading platform provides usual trading functions and special trading function according to the embodiments of the invention. The specific trading function of this embodiment left out the usual trading functions will be explained as follows.

Any person operating the personal web log or mini home page registers as the agent of the e-trading platform to promote the goods on the e-trading platform (S210). As shown in Fig. 3, the agent registration procedures are accomplished at the web server 111. Firstly, when any person logs in the e-trading platform (S211) and requests a registration as an agent (S212), the beneficiaries and theirs sharing rates of profits are input and registered by the agent at the web server 111 (S213). The agents can select themselves, other persons, or an organization as the beneficiaries and should set sharing rates of the beneficiaries. When the agent doesn't set the sharing rates, the sharing rates of each beneficiary are equal. It takes a part in the collection of contributions to set the organization as the beneficiary. This embodiment of the invention is not limited that the agent is a member of the e- trading platform but is applied that the agent is not a member of the e-trading platform.

Information collecting methods are stored at the web server 111 by the agent registered through step 213 (S214). The information is collected by updating the e-trading platform and the information collecting methods include the RSS services, the news letter, and the manual link etc.

When the agent selects the RSS services, an agent's web site address is stored at the web server 111 (S216), and when the agent selects the news letter services, an agent's mail address is stored at the web server 111 (S217). In the meantime, when the agent selects the manual link, special address information is not stored. Also, the agent selects a plurality of the information collecting method.

After the address information for each of the information collecting methods is stored in the web server at S216 or S217, the procedures is returned to a main routine. After the agent is registered through these procedures and when the information collecting method is the RSS services (S220), the RSS server 112 produces a RSS file and transmits to the agent's web site (S230). When the information collecting method is the news letter services (S220), the mail server 113 produces a news letter including the beneficiary identifying codes and transmits to the agent's mail address (S240). When the information collecting method is the manual link, the web page of the e-trading platform web site including the beneficiary identifying codes is linked in case that the agent is linked at the e-trading platform (S250).

The agent reads the RSS files including the beneficiary identifying codes at his web log, mini home page or web site by a RSS reader so that the customer can obtain information on the goods. Also, the agent sends the news letter including the beneficiary identifying codes to the customer, or links his web page to the web page of the e-trading platform. When any customer connects to the web page of the e-trading platform through the agent's sub routine and purchases the goods, the web server accomplishes purchasing procedures (S260). The purchasing procedures are illustrated in Fig. 4. When any customer connects to the web page of the e-trading platform through the RSS files, the news letters or the link information (S261), the web server provides the sales web page introducing the goods of the e- trading platform (S262). When the customer orders the goods (S263), the web server proceeds to the usual order and payment process (S264). When the purchaser is the same person as the agent, the web server shows how much the purchaser gets the amount of the profit in comparison with the amount of the profit through other agent, and gives the purchaser a selection chance for the beneficiary. When the purchaser is not the same person as the agent, the web server shows how much the purchaser gets the amount of the profit, and gives the purchaser a selection chance for the beneficiary. When the payment is accomplished (S264), the web server stores information on the purchaser, the agent, the sales event, and the beneficiary (S265), and thereafter the main routine is returned. When the purchaser buys the goods through other agent, it is preferable that the web server gives the purchaser equal or more amount of the profit to induce the purchaser to buy the goods through other agent. When any purchaser buys the goods or services at the web page of the e-trading platform through the agent sub routine, the profit sharing server 114 distributes the profit and the cash back to the designated beneficiaries in proportion to the sharing rates.

The types of profit sharing may be a spontaneously discount, point reserving, a gift or the cash back etc. When the purchaser selects himself as the beneficiary, the price of the goods is spontaneously discounted, on purchasing the goods.

An embodiment of the present invention described above is only for purpose of illustration and not limitation of the present invention. Therefore, it is understood that as far as it is not above the nature of the present invention, the embodiment shown and described above in Figs 1 to 5 will be also applied to the internet portal site or the contents providing site.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A system for sharing profits of the goods sales comprising: a web server for administrating general purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund and delivery confirmation for goods, registering linking means of an agent, a beneficiary and a profit sharing rate and showing a sales web page of an e-trading platform; information providing means for providing the linking means with information on the goods including a beneficiary identifying code by connecting to the sales web page of the e-trading platform; and a profit sharing server for distributing the profit to the designated beneficiary, when any purchaser buys the goods or services at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through the linking means of the agent.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the linking means is an agent's web site and the information providing means is a RSS server for sending a RSS file including the identifying code at the agent's web site.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the agent's web site further comprises recommendation contents linked to the RSS files and connects to the web page of the e-trading platform through the RSS files when a part of the contents is selected.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the image of the goods is activated, when the pointer of mouse is touched on all or any part of the recommendation contents of the agent's web site.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the linking means is an e-mail and the information providing means is a mail server for sending a news letter including the identifying code at an agent's mail address.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the linking means is an agent's web site and the information providing means is a search engine linked to the identifying code at the agent's web site.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the profit sharing server distributes the profit to the beneficiary, when any purchaser buys the goods or services at the web page of the e-trading platform through the linking means of the agent.

8. A system according to claim 7, when the purchaser is not the same person as the agent, the beneficiary are received equal or more profit from the profit sharing server.

9. A method for sharing profits of the goods sales through a system for administrating general purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund and delivery confirmation for goods and showing a sales web page of an e-trading platform comprising steps of: registering linking means of an agent, a beneficiary and a profit sharing rate; providing the linking means with information on the goods including a beneficiary identifying code by connecting to the sales web page of the e-trading platform; providing purchasing procedures of the goods, when any purchaser wishes to buy the goods at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through the linking means of the agent; and distributing the profit to the designated beneficiary, when the goods is sold through the purchasing procedures.

10. A method according to claim 9 further comprising step of sending a RSS file including the identifying code at the agent's web site, when the linking means is an agent's web site.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the agent's web site further comprises recommendation contents linked to the RSS files and connects to the web page of the e-trading platform through the RSS files when a part of the contents is selected.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the image of the goods is activated, when the pointer of mouse is touched on all or any part of the recommendation contents of the agent's web site.

13. A method according to claim 9 further comprising step of sending a news letter including the identifying code at an agent's mail address, when the linking means is an e-mail.

14. A method according to claim 9 further comprising step of providing information on the goods including the identifying code and the sales web page of the e-trading platform with the agent, when the linking means is manual linking means.

15. A method according to claims 9 to 14 wherein the beneficiary is received a part of profit, when the sales of goods are confirmed.

16. A method according to claim 15, when the purchaser is not the same person as the agent, the beneficiary are received equal or more profit from the profit sharing server.

17. A computer recordable media for accomplishing a method for sharing profits of the goods sales through a system for administrating general purchasing procedures of registration, search, order, refund and delivery confirmation for goods and showing a sales web page of an e- trading platform comprising steps of: registering linking means of an agent, a beneficiary and a profit sharing rate; providing the linking means with information on the goods including a beneficiary identifying code by connecting to the sales web page of the e-trading platform; providing purchasing procedures of the goods, when any purchaser wishes to buy the goods at the web page of the e-trading platform including the beneficiary identifying codes through the linking means of the agent; and distributing the profit to the designated beneficiary, when the goods is sold through the purchasing procedures.